US20110222235A1 - Clamp assembly and method of clamping a disk drive - Google Patents
Clamp assembly and method of clamping a disk drive Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20110222235A1 US20110222235A1 US13/029,889 US201113029889A US2011222235A1 US 20110222235 A1 US20110222235 A1 US 20110222235A1 US 201113029889 A US201113029889 A US 201113029889A US 2011222235 A1 US2011222235 A1 US 2011222235A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- disk drive
- substrate
- connector
- clamp assembly
- biasing element
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/18—Packaging or power distribution
- G06F1/183—Internal mounting support structures, e.g. for printed circuit boards, internal connecting means
- G06F1/187—Mounting of fixed and removable disk drives
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49002—Electrical device making
- Y10T29/4902—Electromagnet, transformer or inductor
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a clamp assembly and to a method of clamping a disk drive.
- the disk drive is inserted into a carrier, which is in turn received in bays in the storage enclosure.
- a carrier which is in turn received in bays in the storage enclosure.
- tools are necessary for releasing the disk drive unit from the apparatus. This makes the operation of removing a disk drive from the apparatus and inserting another time consuming and inconvenient. For example, this requires the operator to have the correct tool on hand, and leads to a risk of dropping the tool or a fastener such as a bolt in the apparatus, potentially leading to damage.
- space for the use of tools and manipulation of disk drives is often limited.
- the mounting arrangement also needs to be secure and to preferably be able to isolate the disk drive from vibration, which mainly arises from operation of nearby disk drives or other moving parts in the overall system.
- the mounting arrangement also needs to make electrical connection to the disk drive.
- the disk drive is manually loaded into a carrier and secured by a fastening, and manoeuvred by hand so that appropriate data and electrical connections to the disk drive are made.
- this and the other similar known arrangements do not lend themselves to automated loading and unloading of disk drives using robots or other automated machinery.
- a clamp assembly for clamping a disk drive to a substrate, the disk drive having a disk drive connector, the clamp assembly comprising: a resilient biasing element mounted to the substrate; and, a substrate connector, wherein when a disk drive connector is connected to the substrate connector, the resilient biasing element biases the disk drive and the substrate connector together.
- the disk drive to be easily inserted and removed from the apparatus, either manually or using robotics.
- the disk drive connector and the substrate connector can then be aligned.
- the disk drive can then be moved in the reverse direction, helped by the bias of the biasing element, until the connectors mate.
- the biasing element biases the disk drive and the substrate connector together, ensuring a secure, positive connection.
- Appropriate selection of the biasing member can also help damp vibration of the disk drive during use, for example by changing the resilience of the biasing member or changing the amount of elastic deformation undergone by the biasing member when the disk drive is in the clamped position to control the amount of preload in the clamping position.
- the disk drive can be simply removed from the clamp assembly by following the opposite sequence of steps.
- the clamp is also simple to manufacture and has relatively few parts, making this relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
- the clamp assembly requires relatively little space compared with prior art disk drive clamping schemes.
- the substrate connector is fixed relative to the substrate, and the biasing element is arranged to bias the disk drive in a biasing direction towards the substrate connector.
- the substrate connector has a plugging direction directed towards the biasing element.
- This arrangement means that the plugging direction and the biasing direction are substantively aligned. Therefore the disk drive is held securely between the connector and the biasing element. The bias also helps making the connection between the disk drive and the substrate connector.
- the depth of the biasing element in the biasing direction is small.
- the biasing element extends beyond the portion of the disk drive unit biased by the biasing element by a distance of less than 10 mm, or more preferably less than 5 mm, or still more preferably less than 2 mm, or yet still more preferably less than 1 mm.
- the clamp assembly comprises a support member projecting from the substrate, the biasing element being fixed to the support member wherein, when a disk drive is connected to the substrate connector, the support member does not protrude beyond said end of the disk drive in the biasing direction.
- the support member has a window defined therethrough, the biasing element being at least partially disposed about the aperture of the window, wherein when a disk is connected to the substrate connector, an end of the disk drive passes through the window.
- the window offers a convenient attachment point for the biasing element, particularly for the preferred embodiment of a sheet-like flexible member that can be stretched over the window.
- the window also helps guide the end of the disk drive during the insertion/removal process and can also help secure the disk drive in place, together with the connectors and the resilient element, when clamped.
- the window is rectangular.
- the window is sized to receive the end of a 3.5 inch disk drive therethrough. In another preferred embodiment, the window is sized to receive the end of a 2.5 inch disk drive therethrough.
- the resilient biasing element entirely covers the window. This helps secure the end of the disk drive in place and reduce vibration.
- the resilient biasing element is an elastic membrane attached at least partially over the window.
- An elastic membrane is simple to implement. The membrane can also be thin, so that it does not protrude to a large extend behind the disk drive when clamping the disk drive. This helps save the space required for the clamp assembly. The elastic membrane also helps control vibration of the disk drive in use.
- the biasing element when a disk drive having said disk drive connector at a first end is clamped by the clamp assembly, the biasing element provides a biasing force to the end of the disk drive opposite said first end.
- the biasing element has a first portion that is fixed relative to the substrate and a second portion that contacts the disk drive when providing said biasing force to the disk drive, and “d1” defines the distance between the first portion and the second portion in the biasing direction when the disk drive is connected to the substrate connector, and “d2” defines the distance between the first portion and the second portion in the biasing direction when the drive connector is disconnected from and just clear of the substrate connector, wherein d2 is greater than d1.
- the clamp assembly comprises a housing around the substrate, wherein the substrate is movable between a received position and a withdrawn relative to the housing such that in the withdrawn position the clamp assembly is accessible for insertion and/or removal of a disk drive, wherein the distance between the housing and the first portion of the biasing element is less than d2 but greater than d1.
- This arrangement means that the space occupied by the clamp assembly within the housing is minimised.
- the greatest extent of the deformation of the biasing element necessary for the clamping operation is accomplished outside of the housing.
- the biasing element in its clamping position is deformed backwards to some extent, which space needs to be accommodated within the housing.
- the biasing element is deformed even more so during the clamping operation to allow the disk drive connector to clear the substrate connector.
- This greater deformation can be performed when the substrate is outside of the housing, when the space available for the deformation is not constrained by the periphery of the housing.
- This difference between the deformation of the biasing element when clamping the disk and when inserting the disk is effectively space saved within the housing which can be used for other things, for example airflow or maximising the number of disk drives in the apparatus.
- a method of clamping a disk drive to a substrate comprising: moving the disk drive against the bias of a resilient biasing element mounted to the substrate; connecting the disk drive connector and the substrate connector; and, moving the disk drive with the bias of the biasing element to a clamped position, in which position the biasing element biases the disk drive and the substrate connector together.
- FIG. 1A shows an example of a clamp assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 1B shows the clamp assembly of FIG. 1 from reverse
- FIG. 2A and 2B show from above and from the side an initial step in the process of clamping a disk drive with the clamp assembly of FIG. 1A and 1B ;
- FIG. 3A and 3B show from above and from the side a next step in the process of clamping a disk drive with the clamp assembly of FIGS. 1A and 1B ;
- FIG. 4A and 4B show from above and from the side a further next step in the process of clamping a disk drive with the clamp assembly of FIG. 1A and 1B ;
- FIG. 5A and 5B show from above and from the side the final position of the process of clamping a disk drive with the clamp assembly of FIG. 1A and 1B .
- FIG. 1A shows an example of a clamp assembly 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 1B shows the same clamp assembly 10 from the reverse angle.
- FIGS. 1A and 1B show a plurality of clamp assemblies 10 , some populated with disk drives and some not populated with disk drives. Only one example of clamp assembly 10 is described herein.
- the clamp assembly 10 comprises a substrate 1 , in this example comprises a sheet metal member.
- a projecting member 2 projects from the substrate 1 at an edge of the substrate 1 .
- the projecting member 2 can be formed by simply bending the sheet metal substrate 1 through 90° to form a perpendicular section.
- the projecting member 2 has a window 3 defined in it.
- the window 3 is a rectangular cut-out in the sheet metal of the projecting member 2 .
- the window 3 is sized to accommodate the end of a disk drive unit 50 .
- the window 3 has an elastic membrane 4 disposed across the opening of the window 3 .
- the membrane 4 may be fixed in place by being sandwiched between a backing plate 5 and the projecting member 2 , with rivets 6 being used to fix the two together.
- the backing plate 5 also has a window corresponding to the window 3 in the projecting member 2 .
- the backing plate 5 has flanges 7 surrounding the window 3 to provide protection to the membrane 4 when the disk drive 50 is clamped with the clamp assembly 10 . (Note, the flanges 7 are not shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 for clarity.)
- the clamp assembly 10 is intended for use with a standard 3.5 inch disk drive, which has a width of approximately 101.6 mm and a height of approximately 26.1 mm (as specified in the industry standard specification SFF-8301).
- the present invention can be used with other size disk drives, for example with a standard 2.5 inch disk drive, which has a width of approximately 70 mm and a height of approximately 15 mm.
- the window 3 is sized to leave a gap of at least 1 mm between the sides of the window 3 and the sides of the disk drive 50 , in order to allow space for the disk drive 50 to be manoeuvred. A larger gap can be provided according to the application.
- a gap of from 1 mm to 5 mm or from 5 mm to 10 mm or larger can be provided between the sides of the window 3 and the sides of the disk drive 50 .
- a larger gap may be for example be preferable in providing more isolation for the disk drive 50 from external vibration.
- the clamp assembly 10 also comprises a connector 8 supported by the substrate 1 (the “substrate connector” as referred to herein).
- the connector 8 faces the window 3 in the projecting member 2 .
- the connector 8 is arranged to mate with the disk drive connector 51 in the rear face 50 B of the disk drive 50 .
- the connector 8 supplies power to the disk drive, and/or carries data signals and/or control signals to/from the disk drive.
- the substrate connector 8 is a right angle connector mounted on the substrate 1 .
- a printed circuit board (PCB) (not shown) could be fixed perpendicular to the substrate 1 , running along the middle of the substrate 1 between the ends 50 a of the disk drives 50 , on which the connectors 8 can be mounted facing away from the PCB towards their respective windows 3 .
- the disk drive 50 is first manoeuvred into position approximately above the clamp assembly 10 . In this position, the front end 50 A of the disk drive 50 faces the window 3 . As shown in FIG. 2A and 2B , the disk drive 50 is advanced in the direction shown by arrow 55 towards the window 3 . It will be noted that the disk drive 50 has a slight incline to the plane defined by the support structure 1 in this position, caused by the necessity for the rear of the disk drive 50 to clear the connector 8 on the substrate 1 .
- the disk drive 50 is advanced until the front end 50 a of the disk drive 50 passes through the window 3 in the projecting member 2 .
- the elastic membrane 4 deforms around the end of the disk drive 50 as the disk drive 50 advances, and provides a biasing force against the motion of the disk drive 50 .
- the disk drive 50 is advanced until the disk drive connector 51 clears the connector 8 on the substrate 1 .
- the disk drive 50 is now rotated downwards as shown by arrow 56 in FIG. 3B until the disk drive connector 51 draws level with the connector 8 on substrate 1 . This position is shown for example in FIGS. 4A and 4B .
- the disk drive 50 is moved towards the connector 8 as shown by arrow 57 , until the disk drive connector 51 mates with the connector 8 on the substrate 1 .
- the bias of membrane 4 helps this movement and the mating of the connectors 8 , 5 .
- FIGS. 5A and 5B The final mating position of the disk drive 50 clamped by the clamp assembly 10 is shown by FIGS. 5A and 5B .
- the disk drive 50 is held at its rear end by the connection between its connector 51 and the connector 8 on the substrate 1 .
- the front end 59 A of the disk drive is held by the biasing force applied by the membrane 4 .
- the clamp assembly 10 provides a simple and convenient way of clamping a disk drive 50 to a substrate 1 .
- the insertion of the disk drive 50 can be carried out manually, for example by the operator simply gripping the disk drive 50 by its side faces and manipulating it as described above.
- robotics may be used to manipulate the disk drive 50 , as are known in the art per se.
- the elastic membrane 3 can also be configured to help damp vibration caused for example by rotation of the disk within the disk drive 50 .
- Another advantage of the preferred embodiment is that very little additional space is taken up beyond the space occupied by the disk drive 50 itself for manipulating the disk drive 50 and by the clamp assembly 10 .
- this preferred embodiment has the advantage that no space in front of the front face 50 a of the disk drive is needed for the projecting member 2 .
- the apparatus in which the disk drives 50 are used may be a storage enclosure containing a plurality of disk drives 50 , where it is desirable to maximise the number of disk drives 50 in the space provided by the enclosure.
- FIGS. 4A , 4 B and 5 A, 5 B show an example of a clamp assembly 10 used with such an enclosure.
- reference numeral 200 represents a cross-section of a housing, with respect to which the substrate 1 can be moved to a withdrawn position (movement in direction 201 ) and to a received position in the housing (movement in direction 202 ).
- the window 3 and membrane 4 are positioned towards the periphery of the substrate 1 , so as to be up against the housing 200 when the substrate is received in the housing 200 .
- FIGS. 4A and 4B show the maximum deformation of the membrane 3 during the process of clamping a disk drive 50 with the clamp assembly 10 .
- the membrane 3 is deformed until the disk drive connector 51 clears the connector 8 on the substrate 1 .
- the distance deformed by the membrane 4 beyond the window 3 is indicated by reference numeral 58 .
- the disk drive connector 51 mates with the connector 8 on substrate 1
- the disk drive 50 moves back towards the connector 8 .
- the deformation of the membrane 4 beyond the window 3 is smaller than the maximum deformation 58 , and is indicated in FIGS. 5A and 5B as reference numeral 59 .
- the substrate 1 is withdrawn from the housing 200 for insertion and/or removal of disk drive units 50 .
- the housing 200 does not have to accommodate the maximum deformation 58 of the membrane 4 that occurs during the insertion/removal process, since this maximum deformation 58 only occurs when the substrate is withdrawn from the housing 200 and therefore unconstrained by the size of the housing 200 .
- the housing 200 needs only to accommodate the lesser deformation 59 of the membrane 4 that occurs when the disk drive 50 is fully inserted into the clamp assembly 10 .
- the substrate 1 being withdrawn from the housing 200 for disk drive insertion/removal means that the gap between the projecting member 2 and the housing 200 must be no less than distance 59 ; whereas, if the substrate 1 was not withdrawn from the housing 200 for disk drive insertion/removal, then the distance between the projecting member 2 and the housing 200 must be no less than distance 58 .
- this embodiment allows less space to be set aside between the clamp assembly 10 (and in particular the projecting member 2 ) and the housing 200 . This can allow more space in the housing 200 to be used for other purposes, for example fitting in more disk drives 50 or airflow for cooling the disk drives 50 .
- the present invention is not limited to being used with 3.5 inch disk drives.
- 2.5 inch disk drives, or in principle any size disk drives can be used instead with suitable modifications to the dimensions of the clamp assembly.
- Additional guide members can be provided on the substrate to help guide the disk drive during the insertion/removal process, or to retain the disk drive in the clamped position.
- Other suitable biasing elements can be used other than an elastic membrane.
- the substrate connector 8 is attached to the substrate 1 and the resilient biasing element 4 is disposed at the other end of the disk drive 50 from the disk drive connector 51 to bias the disk drive 50 and the substrate connector 8 together.
- the substrate connector 8 can be mounted to the resilient biasing element 4 .
- a support structure is arranged on the substrate 1 at the opposite end 50 A of the disk drive 50 to the connector.
- the biasing element biases the together the disk drive 50 and the substrate connector 8 , with the disk drive butted up against the support structure.
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Abstract
Description
- This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 61/313338, filed Mar. 12, 2010, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
- The present invention relates to a clamp assembly and to a method of clamping a disk drive.
- There are a number of applications when it is necessary to mount a disk drive in some other apparatus. These include for example when the disk drive is tested during manufacture and when the disk drive is in use for data storage applications or the like.
- Various mounting schemes are known. In some schemes, for example in some storage enclosures, the disk drive is inserted into a carrier, which is in turn received in bays in the storage enclosure. Often tools are necessary for releasing the disk drive unit from the apparatus. This makes the operation of removing a disk drive from the apparatus and inserting another time consuming and inconvenient. For example, this requires the operator to have the correct tool on hand, and leads to a risk of dropping the tool or a fastener such as a bolt in the apparatus, potentially leading to damage. Also, space for the use of tools and manipulation of disk drives is often limited.
- The mounting arrangement also needs to be secure and to preferably be able to isolate the disk drive from vibration, which mainly arises from operation of nearby disk drives or other moving parts in the overall system. The mounting arrangement also needs to make electrical connection to the disk drive. Typically, the disk drive is manually loaded into a carrier and secured by a fastening, and manoeuvred by hand so that appropriate data and electrical connections to the disk drive are made. However, this and the other similar known arrangements do not lend themselves to automated loading and unloading of disk drives using robots or other automated machinery.
- According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a clamp assembly for clamping a disk drive to a substrate, the disk drive having a disk drive connector, the clamp assembly comprising: a resilient biasing element mounted to the substrate; and, a substrate connector, wherein when a disk drive connector is connected to the substrate connector, the resilient biasing element biases the disk drive and the substrate connector together.
- This allows the disk drive to be easily inserted and removed from the apparatus, either manually or using robotics. In the preferred embodiment, it is simply necessary to advance the disk drive against the bias of the biasing element until the disk drive connector clears the substrate connector. The disk drive connector and the substrate connector can then be aligned. The disk drive can then be moved in the reverse direction, helped by the bias of the biasing element, until the connectors mate. The biasing element biases the disk drive and the substrate connector together, ensuring a secure, positive connection. Appropriate selection of the biasing member can also help damp vibration of the disk drive during use, for example by changing the resilience of the biasing member or changing the amount of elastic deformation undergone by the biasing member when the disk drive is in the clamped position to control the amount of preload in the clamping position.
- The disk drive can be simply removed from the clamp assembly by following the opposite sequence of steps.
- No tools are required for these operations. The clamp is also simple to manufacture and has relatively few parts, making this relatively inexpensive to manufacture. The clamp assembly requires relatively little space compared with prior art disk drive clamping schemes.
- In a preferred embodiment, the substrate connector is fixed relative to the substrate, and the biasing element is arranged to bias the disk drive in a biasing direction towards the substrate connector.
- In a preferred embodiment, the substrate connector has a plugging direction directed towards the biasing element.
- This arrangement means that the plugging direction and the biasing direction are substantively aligned. Therefore the disk drive is held securely between the connector and the biasing element. The bias also helps making the connection between the disk drive and the substrate connector.
- In a preferred embodiment, the depth of the biasing element in the biasing direction is small.
- This helps save space on the substrate. Preferably, the biasing element extends beyond the portion of the disk drive unit biased by the biasing element by a distance of less than 10 mm, or more preferably less than 5 mm, or still more preferably less than 2 mm, or yet still more preferably less than 1 mm.
- In a preferred embodiment, the clamp assembly comprises a support member projecting from the substrate, the biasing element being fixed to the support member wherein, when a disk drive is connected to the substrate connector, the support member does not protrude beyond said end of the disk drive in the biasing direction.
- This helps reduce the amount of space on the substrate required for the clamp assembly.
- In a preferred embodiment, the support member has a window defined therethrough, the biasing element being at least partially disposed about the aperture of the window, wherein when a disk is connected to the substrate connector, an end of the disk drive passes through the window.
- The window offers a convenient attachment point for the biasing element, particularly for the preferred embodiment of a sheet-like flexible member that can be stretched over the window. The window also helps guide the end of the disk drive during the insertion/removal process and can also help secure the disk drive in place, together with the connectors and the resilient element, when clamped.
- In a preferred embodiment, the window is rectangular.
- In a preferred embodiment, the window is sized to receive the end of a 3.5 inch disk drive therethrough. In another preferred embodiment, the window is sized to receive the end of a 2.5 inch disk drive therethrough.
- In a preferred embodiment, the resilient biasing element entirely covers the window. This helps secure the end of the disk drive in place and reduce vibration.
- In a preferred embodiment, wherein the resilient biasing element is an elastic membrane attached at least partially over the window. An elastic membrane is simple to implement. The membrane can also be thin, so that it does not protrude to a large extend behind the disk drive when clamping the disk drive. This helps save the space required for the clamp assembly. The elastic membrane also helps control vibration of the disk drive in use.
- In a preferred embodiment, when a disk drive having said disk drive connector at a first end is clamped by the clamp assembly, the biasing element provides a biasing force to the end of the disk drive opposite said first end.
- In a preferred embodiment, the biasing element has a first portion that is fixed relative to the substrate and a second portion that contacts the disk drive when providing said biasing force to the disk drive, and “d1” defines the distance between the first portion and the second portion in the biasing direction when the disk drive is connected to the substrate connector, and “d2” defines the distance between the first portion and the second portion in the biasing direction when the drive connector is disconnected from and just clear of the substrate connector, wherein d2 is greater than d1.
- This helps save space required for the clamp assembly. Note, as will be appreciated, when the connectors are disconnected they must at first be moved relative to each other in the “plugging” direction of the connectors. Once they have sufficiently separated from each other (i.e. they are just clear of each other), they can then be moved apart in other directions.
- In a preferred embodiment, the clamp assembly comprises a housing around the substrate, wherein the substrate is movable between a received position and a withdrawn relative to the housing such that in the withdrawn position the clamp assembly is accessible for insertion and/or removal of a disk drive, wherein the distance between the housing and the first portion of the biasing element is less than d2 but greater than d1.
- This arrangement means that the space occupied by the clamp assembly within the housing is minimised. The greatest extent of the deformation of the biasing element necessary for the clamping operation is accomplished outside of the housing. The biasing element in its clamping position is deformed backwards to some extent, which space needs to be accommodated within the housing. The biasing element is deformed even more so during the clamping operation to allow the disk drive connector to clear the substrate connector. This greater deformation can be performed when the substrate is outside of the housing, when the space available for the deformation is not constrained by the periphery of the housing. This difference between the deformation of the biasing element when clamping the disk and when inserting the disk is effectively space saved within the housing which can be used for other things, for example airflow or maximising the number of disk drives in the apparatus.
- According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of clamping a disk drive to a substrate, the disk drive having a disk drive connector, the method comprising: moving the disk drive against the bias of a resilient biasing element mounted to the substrate; connecting the disk drive connector and the substrate connector; and, moving the disk drive with the bias of the biasing element to a clamped position, in which position the biasing element biases the disk drive and the substrate connector together.
- Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1A shows an example of a clamp assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 1B shows the clamp assembly ofFIG. 1 from reverse; -
FIG. 2A and 2B show from above and from the side an initial step in the process of clamping a disk drive with the clamp assembly ofFIG. 1A and 1B ; -
FIG. 3A and 3B show from above and from the side a next step in the process of clamping a disk drive with the clamp assembly ofFIGS. 1A and 1B ; -
FIG. 4A and 4B show from above and from the side a further next step in the process of clamping a disk drive with the clamp assembly ofFIG. 1A and 1B ; and, -
FIG. 5A and 5B show from above and from the side the final position of the process of clamping a disk drive with the clamp assembly ofFIG. 1A and 1B . -
FIG. 1A shows an example of aclamp assembly 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 1B shows thesame clamp assembly 10 from the reverse angle. In fact,FIGS. 1A and 1B show a plurality ofclamp assemblies 10, some populated with disk drives and some not populated with disk drives. Only one example ofclamp assembly 10 is described herein. - The
clamp assembly 10 comprises a substrate 1, in this example comprises a sheet metal member. A projectingmember 2 projects from the substrate 1 at an edge of the substrate 1. In this example, the projectingmember 2 can be formed by simply bending the sheet metal substrate 1 through 90° to form a perpendicular section. The projectingmember 2 has awindow 3 defined in it. In this example, thewindow 3 is a rectangular cut-out in the sheet metal of the projectingmember 2. Thewindow 3 is sized to accommodate the end of adisk drive unit 50. - The
window 3 has anelastic membrane 4 disposed across the opening of thewindow 3. Themembrane 4 may be fixed in place by being sandwiched between abacking plate 5 and the projectingmember 2, withrivets 6 being used to fix the two together. Thebacking plate 5 also has a window corresponding to thewindow 3 in the projectingmember 2. In the present example, thebacking plate 5 hasflanges 7 surrounding thewindow 3 to provide protection to themembrane 4 when thedisk drive 50 is clamped with theclamp assembly 10. (Note, theflanges 7 are not shown inFIGS. 2 to 5 for clarity.) - In the present example, the
clamp assembly 10 is intended for use with a standard 3.5 inch disk drive, which has a width of approximately 101.6 mm and a height of approximately 26.1 mm (as specified in the industry standard specification SFF-8301). As will be appreciated, the present invention can be used with other size disk drives, for example with a standard 2.5 inch disk drive, which has a width of approximately 70 mm and a height of approximately 15 mm. Preferably thewindow 3 is sized to leave a gap of at least 1 mm between the sides of thewindow 3 and the sides of thedisk drive 50, in order to allow space for thedisk drive 50 to be manoeuvred. A larger gap can be provided according to the application. For example, a gap of from 1 mm to 5 mm or from 5 mm to 10 mm or larger can be provided between the sides of thewindow 3 and the sides of thedisk drive 50. A larger gap, may be for example be preferable in providing more isolation for thedisk drive 50 from external vibration. - The
clamp assembly 10 also comprises aconnector 8 supported by the substrate 1 (the “substrate connector” as referred to herein). Theconnector 8 faces thewindow 3 in the projectingmember 2. Theconnector 8 is arranged to mate with the disk drive connector 51 in the rear face 50B of thedisk drive 50. Theconnector 8 supplies power to the disk drive, and/or carries data signals and/or control signals to/from the disk drive. - In the present example, the
substrate connector 8 is a right angle connector mounted on the substrate 1. However, other ways of mounting theconnector 8 are contemplated. For example, referring toFIG. 1 , a printed circuit board (PCB) (not shown) could be fixed perpendicular to the substrate 1, running along the middle of the substrate 1 between the ends 50 a of the disk drives 50, on which theconnectors 8 can be mounted facing away from the PCB towards theirrespective windows 3. - To clamp the
disk drive 50 with theclamp assembly 10, thedisk drive 50 is first manoeuvred into position approximately above theclamp assembly 10. In this position, the front end 50A of thedisk drive 50 faces thewindow 3. As shown inFIG. 2A and 2B , thedisk drive 50 is advanced in the direction shown byarrow 55 towards thewindow 3. It will be noted that thedisk drive 50 has a slight incline to the plane defined by the support structure 1 in this position, caused by the necessity for the rear of thedisk drive 50 to clear theconnector 8 on the substrate 1. - As shown by
FIGS. 3A and 3B , thedisk drive 50 is advanced until the front end 50 a of thedisk drive 50 passes through thewindow 3 in the projectingmember 2. Theelastic membrane 4 deforms around the end of thedisk drive 50 as thedisk drive 50 advances, and provides a biasing force against the motion of thedisk drive 50. Thedisk drive 50 is advanced until the disk drive connector 51 clears theconnector 8 on the substrate 1. Thedisk drive 50 is now rotated downwards as shown by arrow 56 inFIG. 3B until the disk drive connector 51 draws level with theconnector 8 on substrate 1. This position is shown for example inFIGS. 4A and 4B . - Finally, the
disk drive 50 is moved towards theconnector 8 as shown byarrow 57, until the disk drive connector 51 mates with theconnector 8 on the substrate 1. The bias ofmembrane 4 helps this movement and the mating of theconnectors - The final mating position of the
disk drive 50 clamped by theclamp assembly 10 is shown byFIGS. 5A and 5B . As can be seen, thedisk drive 50 is held at its rear end by the connection between its connector 51 and theconnector 8 on the substrate 1. The front end 59A of the disk drive is held by the biasing force applied by themembrane 4. - Thus the
clamp assembly 10 provides a simple and convenient way of clamping adisk drive 50 to a substrate 1. The insertion of thedisk drive 50 can be carried out manually, for example by the operator simply gripping thedisk drive 50 by its side faces and manipulating it as described above. Alternatively, robotics may be used to manipulate thedisk drive 50, as are known in the art per se. - The
elastic membrane 3 can also be configured to help damp vibration caused for example by rotation of the disk within thedisk drive 50. - To remove a
disk drive 50 from theclamp assembly 10, the sequence of operations described above is performed in reverse. - Another advantage of the preferred embodiment is that very little additional space is taken up beyond the space occupied by the
disk drive 50 itself for manipulating thedisk drive 50 and by theclamp assembly 10. This preferably achieved by having awindow 3 in the projectingmember 2 through which the end 50 a of the disk drive protrudes. This allows the projectingmember 2 to be positioned level or in front of the front face 50 a of thedisk drive 50. Thus, this preferred embodiment has the advantage that no space in front of the front face 50 a of the disk drive is needed for the projectingmember 2. In contrast, other possible biasing arrangements, for example using a spring between the front end 50A of thedisk drive 50 and a support member, which would require that the support member was positioned in front of the front face 50 a of thedisk drive 50, which would mean that the clamp assembly took up more space on the substrate 1. - This embodiment is therefore advantageous in applications where the space for a
disk drive 50 is limited. For example, referring back toFIGS. 1A and 1B , the apparatus in which the disk drives 50 are used, may be a storage enclosure containing a plurality ofdisk drives 50, where it is desirable to maximise the number ofdisk drives 50 in the space provided by the enclosure. - The preferred embodiment of the present invention is particularly advantageous when used in an apparatus where the substrate 1 is in a housing and can be withdrawn from the housing to allow access to the disk drives for their removal and/or insertion. For example, storage enclosures are known where a plurality of disk drives are mounted in a drawer, which slides on runners relative to a housing.
FIGS. 4A , 4B and 5A, 5B show an example of aclamp assembly 10 used with such an enclosure. InFIGS. 4A and 5A reference numeral 200 represents a cross-section of a housing, with respect to which the substrate 1 can be moved to a withdrawn position (movement in direction 201) and to a received position in the housing (movement in direction 202). In this embodiment, thewindow 3 andmembrane 4 are positioned towards the periphery of the substrate 1, so as to be up against thehousing 200 when the substrate is received in thehousing 200. -
FIGS. 4A and 4B show the maximum deformation of themembrane 3 during the process of clamping adisk drive 50 with theclamp assembly 10. In this position, themembrane 3 is deformed until the disk drive connector 51 clears theconnector 8 on the substrate 1. The distance deformed by themembrane 4 beyond thewindow 3 is indicated by reference numeral 58. As previously described, when the disk drive connector 51 mates with theconnector 8 on substrate 1, thedisk drive 50 moves back towards theconnector 8. Thus, in the received position shown inFIGS. 5A and 5B , the deformation of themembrane 4 beyond thewindow 3 is smaller than the maximum deformation 58, and is indicated inFIGS. 5A and 5B as reference numeral 59. - As previously explained, the substrate 1 is withdrawn from the
housing 200 for insertion and/or removal ofdisk drive units 50. This means that thehousing 200 does not have to accommodate the maximum deformation 58 of themembrane 4 that occurs during the insertion/removal process, since this maximum deformation 58 only occurs when the substrate is withdrawn from thehousing 200 and therefore unconstrained by the size of thehousing 200. Instead, thehousing 200 needs only to accommodate the lesser deformation 59 of themembrane 4 that occurs when thedisk drive 50 is fully inserted into theclamp assembly 10. In other words, the substrate 1 being withdrawn from thehousing 200 for disk drive insertion/removal means that the gap between the projectingmember 2 and thehousing 200 must be no less than distance 59; whereas, if the substrate 1 was not withdrawn from thehousing 200 for disk drive insertion/removal, then the distance between the projectingmember 2 and thehousing 200 must be no less than distance 58. Thus, this embodiment allows less space to be set aside between the clamp assembly 10 (and in particular the projecting member 2) and thehousing 200. This can allow more space in thehousing 200 to be used for other purposes, for example fitting inmore disk drives 50 or airflow for cooling the disk drives 50. - Embodiments of the present invention have been described with particular reference to the example illustrated. However, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications may be made to the examples described within the scope of the present invention.
- In particular, the present invention is not limited to being used with 3.5 inch disk drives. 2.5 inch disk drives, or in principle any size disk drives can be used instead with suitable modifications to the dimensions of the clamp assembly. Additional guide members can be provided on the substrate to help guide the disk drive during the insertion/removal process, or to retain the disk drive in the clamped position. Other suitable biasing elements can be used other than an elastic membrane.
- Also, in the specific example described above, the
substrate connector 8 is attached to the substrate 1 and theresilient biasing element 4 is disposed at the other end of thedisk drive 50 from the disk drive connector 51 to bias thedisk drive 50 and thesubstrate connector 8 together. In an alternative scheme (not shown), thesubstrate connector 8 can be mounted to theresilient biasing element 4. In this scheme, a support structure is arranged on the substrate 1 at the opposite end 50A of thedisk drive 50 to the connector. When inserted into the clamp assembly, the biasing element biases the together thedisk drive 50 and thesubstrate connector 8, with the disk drive butted up against the support structure. This arrangement has similar advantages to the specific example shown in FIGS. 1A,B to 5A,B above in biasing thedisk drive 50 and thesubstrate connector 8 together, ensuring a secure, positive connection, damping vibration, whilst not requiring tools, etc.
Claims (20)
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US13/029,889 US8724310B2 (en) | 2010-03-12 | 2011-02-17 | Clamp assembly and method of clamping a disk drive |
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US31333810P | 2010-03-12 | 2010-03-12 | |
US13/029,889 US8724310B2 (en) | 2010-03-12 | 2011-02-17 | Clamp assembly and method of clamping a disk drive |
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